Questions to Ask in a Music Therapy Interview
Questions to ask your interviewer in a music therapy interview, whether you are a student up for an internship placement or a qualified therapist up for a job. They run in the order the decision usually takes: the caseload and the people you would serve, supervision and observation, the time and tools for planning and notes, where music therapy stands with the rest of the staff, pay and terms, and a handful to close on. Anything that depends on the country, the state, your school or the employer is put as a question about how it works at that site.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Caseload
Which populations would I be working with, and how is the week divided among them?
Why ask it
Music therapy with preschoolers, on an adult mental health unit and at a hospice bedside are close to three different jobs, so get the split in days or sessions and not as a list. If one of those groups is new to you, say so now and ask who would show you how the site works with it.
How many sessions would I lead on a normal day, and how many of them are groups?
Why ask it
Six groups take more voice, more setup and more planning than six one-to-one visits, though the count is the same. The two details to leave with are the largest group you would run alone and what the plan becomes when half of it does not turn up.
Can you take me through last week on the music therapy schedule, including the hours that were not sessions?
Why ask it
A real week shows what a template hides: the group cancelled for a fire drill, the assessment squeezed in at four, the notes finished at home. Listen for when the planning and the charting actually got done.
Does the program work in a particular approach, and how much room is there for the way I was trained?
Why ask it
Some sites lean on one tradition, such as neurologic, behavioral or improvisational work, and expect newcomers to learn it. Have them describe a session that fits the house style, then ask whether training in it is provided or assumed.
Who does the assessment and writes the goals, and how soon would that be me?
Why ask it
For an intern, the answer marks the point where assisting ends and practicing begins. For someone being hired, it shows whether the goals are yours to set or arrive in a care plan or education plan that another discipline wrote.
How do clients end up in music therapy here: by referral, on a set schedule, or because the therapist goes and finds them?
Why ask it
Where a nurse, a teacher or a physician refers, other staff usually have some idea what the service is for. Where the therapist finds clients by walking the unit, explaining the work is part of every day. Either way, find out who is allowed to refer and what the form wants to know.
Is the caseload already there, or would I be building it?
Why ask it
A departing therapist's schedule comes with clients who are used to someone else's songs. An empty calendar means months of meeting referrers and showing what the service does, so ask how long they expect that to take and how your hours are paid until it fills.
Which clients or moments here do new therapists and interns find hardest?
Why ask it
Honest replies sound like a death on the unit, a child who hits, or a group that will not settle. The useful part comes next: what the supervisor did the last time it happened to someone in their first month.
What training would I get before I am alone in a room with clients, for things like a seizure, a fall or someone lashing out?
Why ask it
Facilities differ on this, and some put new staff and interns through de-escalation, safe handling or emergency drills before any client contact. The follow-up is who is within earshot during a session, and how you call them with a guitar in your hands.
What languages and musical traditions do the people you serve bring with them?
Why ask it
Repertoire is a clinical tool, so a site full of Spanish-speaking elders or families with their own sacred music needs songs you may not know yet. Get the most requested ones by name and you can start learning them before the first day.
Supervision
Who would supervise me, and how many hours a week would the two of us have together?
Why ask it
You are after a name, a credential and a standing slot on the calendar. An intern, or anyone still working toward a credential, should set those hours beside what the school or certifying body asks for, since a site's habit and the requirement do not always match.
How does an intern move from observing to co-leading to running sessions alone, and over how many weeks?
Why ask it
A site that has trained interns before can give the sequence with dates. What moves you from one step to the next matters as much: the calendar, a checklist of competencies or the supervisor's judgment, and what happens if you are ready early or late.
How often would my sessions be observed, and what form does the feedback take?
Why ask it
Comments made in a hallway are gone by Friday. Written notes on an observed session, gone over in supervision, give you one thing to fix next time and a paper trail for your evaluations.
Are sessions ever video recorded for supervision, and how is consent handled?
Why ask it
Watching yourself lead is uncomfortable and teaches a great deal. Recording rules belong to the facility and to the law where it sits, so ask what this site does and never assume a phone propped on a shelf is acceptable.
What happens to my supervision if my supervisor is away, ill or leaves the job?
Why ask it
For an intern this can stall hours that count toward finishing. Find out who the backup is, whether that person holds a credential your program accepts, and whether the arrangement has ever been used.
How many interns are here at once, and do they share a supervisor?
Why ask it
A second intern is someone to plan with, debrief with and split a heavy group with. It can also mean half a supervisor, so ask whether supervision is one to one, in a pair, or some of each.
What assignments come with the internship on top of the clinical hours?
Why ask it
Case studies, a special project, a staff presentation, repertoire checks and set reading all get done around a full week of sessions. A list with due dates shows you the heavy months before you are in them.
How are the midterm and final evaluations done, and who talks to my school?
Why ask it
Know the form before you are scored on it, and ask for a blank copy to take home. If the site and your academic supervisor ever read your progress differently, you will want to know who picks up the phone.
Which musical skills do you expect on day one, and which do you expect to teach me?
Why ask it
Some directors want memorized repertoire, clean transposing and a steady guitar from the first week, and others build those with you. Whatever they name is your practice plan between now and the start date.
If I were falling behind, how would I find out, and what would the plan be?
Why ask it
The answer you hope for is an early conversation and a written plan with dates, not a surprise at the midterm. It is fair to ask whether anyone has been through that here and still finished.
Would I be the only music therapist in the building, and is outside supervision or peer consultation supported?
Why ask it
A sole therapist often reports to someone from another discipline, who can judge attendance and paperwork but not the clinical work. If the employer will pay for outside supervision or give time for a peer group, have that written into the offer.
Planning and tools
When in the week would I plan sessions, and is that time paid?
Why ask it
Planning here means learning songs, writing new ones, tuning and making visuals, which does not fit in ten minutes between groups. A block you can point to on the calendar is real. 'Whenever there is a gap' tends to mean evenings.
What has to be documented after each session, when is it due, and how long does a note take in your system?
Why ask it
Some charts have a music therapy template and others make you fit a session into a nursing or activities form. Ask to see a blank note, multiply the minutes by a day's sessions, and check that against the time you were just told is set aside. Interns should ask who co-signs and how quickly.
Which instruments does the program own, and could I see them?
Why ask it
Ask to look in the closet. A decent guitar, a keyboard, tuned percussion and enough small instruments for a full group, clean and working, say more than an inventory sheet does.
Would I be expected to bring my own guitar or other instruments, and who pays when one is damaged?
Why ask it
Plenty of therapists prefer their own guitar, which is fine until a client cracks it or it spends August in a car. What the site has replaced before, and whether its insurance covers personal instruments on the premises, tells you who carries that risk.
Is there a yearly budget for instruments, strings, songbooks and supplies, and who signs off on it?
Why ask it
A figure, even a small one, means the program has a line of its own. 'Just ask and we will see' turns every set of strings into a request, so find out what was last bought and how long the approval took.
Where do sessions take place, and how do the instruments get there?
Why ask it
A dedicated room, a shared activity space, a classroom and a bedside each change what you can carry and how loud you can be. Storage, a cart and the elevators matter more than they sound if the day covers several floors.
What are the infection control rules for instruments here?
Why ask it
Hospitals, nursing homes and schools each set their own cleaning rules, and those rules decide which instruments may go into which rooms. Have them describe what happens to a shaker after it has been in a child's mouth.
How is progress measured and reported, and who reads the reports?
Why ask it
Data nobody reads is only paperwork. If the reports go to a care team, a school meeting or a funder, ask to see one with the names removed, because that is the standard yours would be held to.
The team
How long has there been music therapy here, and who started it?
Why ask it
A program with years behind it has usually found its place. A new one is still being explained to the building, which can be the most interesting job in it or the most tiring, depending on who above you wants it to last.
How long did the last music therapist stay, and why did they move on?
Why ask it
One therapist who stayed eight years and left for a family move is a different job from three therapists in four years. If the job is new, ask instead what persuaded the building to fund it, because that is the promise you would be hired to keep. Interns can leave this one out.
How would the nurses, teachers or other therapists here describe what music therapy is for?
Why ask it
If the interviewer is the music therapist, you get a frank account of the gap between the work and how colleagues see it. If the interviewer is an administrator, their own description is the answer: listen for goals and outcomes, or for 'the residents love the music'.
Which department does music therapy sit in, and who would I report to?
Why ask it
Rehabilitation, activities, special education, spiritual care and child life each bring different expectations, pay scales and paperwork. A manager from another field is common, so the thing to learn is whether that person has ever had to defend the program.
Do music therapists attend team meetings, care conferences or education plan meetings?
Why ask it
The meeting is where referrals start and where what you saw in a session can change someone's care. An open invitation counts for little if it clashes with your groups, so check whether the meeting is on your schedule or comes out of session time.
Do you co-treat with speech, occupational or physical therapy, and who sets that up?
Why ask it
Joint sessions are some of the best learning an intern gets, and they let the rest of the team watch what you do. The practical snag is paperwork: who writes a shared session up, and how each discipline counts it.
How do you respond when someone asks for background music, a performance at an event or someone to fill in for an activity?
Why ask it
It will come up, usually from someone who means well. A supervisor with a practiced reply and a manager who backs it mean the line between therapy and entertainment has already been drawn here.
How is the program paid for, and has that funding ever been in doubt?
Why ask it
A salary in the operating budget, a grant, a donor and billed services each last for a different length of time. With a grant, ask when it ends and what is planned for the month after.
Pay and terms
Is the internship paid, or does it come with a stipend, housing or meals?
Why ask it
A placement that pays nothing and runs full time for months is a question about rent as much as about the site. The follow-up is whether interns are allowed a part-time job, and whether the last one managed to keep it.
What does the position pay, and is that hourly, salaried or per session?
Why ask it
Per-session pay looks generous until the planning, the driving and the notes that earn nothing are counted. Ask what you are paid when a facility cancels a group or a client is in the hospital, then work out the rate for an hour of your whole day.
Would I be an employee or a contractor, and what does each one get here?
Why ask it
The label moves the cost of instruments, insurance, leave and the gaps between contracts from one side to the other. How the two are defined and taxed depends on where you work, so ask how this employer handles it and check the parts that matter with someone qualified.
Is there a productivity expectation, and how is it counted for music therapy?
Why ask it
It might be a share of your hours spent in direct contact, a number of sessions or a count of billed units. The detail that decides whether it is fair is what counts toward it: a group of eight, a cancelled visit, a family meeting, a note. If no target exists, ask how the program shows what it is worth.
Would I travel between sites, and how are drive time, mileage and parking handled?
Why ask it
Contract and home-based work can put two hours of road into a day. Pin down how the route is drawn, whether the driving is paid and at what rate, and whether each site keeps instruments of its own or you haul a keyboard in and out at every stop.
What are the working hours, and for an internship, the start and end dates?
Why ask it
Hospice visits, family sessions and community groups often fall on evenings or weekends. Interns should ask how sick days and holidays affect the total hours they need, and whether the end date moves if they fall short.
What do I need in place before I start: health screening, a background check, liability insurance?
Why ask it
Immunization records, fingerprints or student liability insurance are required by some facilities and some schools, and the list differs from one to the next. Get it with deadlines, since one missing form can push a start date back by weeks.
Does the employer pay for continuing education, credential renewal or professional dues?
Why ask it
Each is a yearly cost that some employers cover and others leave to the therapist. What was approved for the last person in the job is a better guide than the policy, and so is whether a conference day counts as work or as vacation.
Have interns been hired here afterward, and is a position likely to open?
Why ask it
Often the truthful answer is no, because a site can train interns with no vacancy behind them. Then ask where its interns found their first jobs and whether the director makes introductions.
Closing
What did the interns who got the most out of this placement do differently?
Why ask it
Directors tend to answer with habits, such as asking for feedback before it is offered or arriving with the songs already learned, and those can start in week one. For a job, change 'interns' to 'the last person who did well in this job'.
Was there anything in my audition, my repertoire or my experience that you would want stronger?
Why ask it
If you played and sang today, the director noticed something. Asking gets you the note while there is still time to work on it, and shows how you take one.
Could I watch a session or spend half a day on site before I decide?
Why ask it
Twenty minutes of seeing the supervisor lead tells you what you would be learning from. Privacy rules may limit what a visitor can see, so ask what is possible and accept a no that comes with a reason.
Could I talk with a current or recent intern, or with the therapist who is leaving?
Why ask it
They know which answers from today hold up in week ten. If nobody can be reached, ask why, and weigh that alongside everything else you heard.
What happens after today, and how long would I have to answer an offer?
Why ask it
You may be holding other applications, and some sites give only a short window to accept. Check too whether your school has to sign an agreement with the site before a place can be confirmed.
Getting real answers in a music therapy interview
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Picking questions for this site
An internship interview and a job interview want different things
An intern is being chosen as a learner, so the questions that matter most are under Supervision: who teaches you, how often you are watched, and how the months are laid out. A qualified therapist interviewing for a job should spend that time on Caseload, The team and Pay and terms, because nobody will be standing behind them once the job begins.
Work out who is across the table
An internship director who is a music therapist can answer anything about instruments, approach and supervision. A department head, a principal or someone from human resources often cannot, but knows the budget, the reporting line and the pay. Put each question to the person who holds the answer, and if no music therapist is in the interview, ask whether you can speak to one before deciding.
Read the site's own description first
Internship sites and employers often publish the populations served, the hours and whether there is a stipend. Use the interview for what sits behind those lines. 'Your description says interns lead by the second month. What does the first month look like?' gets further than asking for the fact again.
Bring five or six, ranked
After an audition and a tour, the minutes left for your own questions can be few. Choose one from each group, put first the one whose answer could change your mind about the place, and keep the rest for an email or a second conversation.
Around the audition and the tour
If you are asked to play, ask about the playing
Some interviews include singing with guitar or piano, sight-reading or a mock session with staff acting as clients. When that is part of yours, the feedback question under Closing belongs straight after it, while the director still remembers which chord change you fumbled.
Ask to see the rooms and the closet
A tour answers several questions under Planning and tools without a word being said: where the instruments live, how far the cart has to travel, whether the group room has a door that shuts. If no tour is offered, ask for one, and notice whether staff in the corridor know who the music therapist is.
Ask about a day that happened
'How much planning time do interns get?' invites the policy. 'When did your current intern plan this week's groups?' gets the truth of it. Most questions about supervision, notes and travel improve when you ask about last week instead of in general.
Keep clients out of your questions
You can learn everything you need about a caseload without a single identifying detail, and a careful interviewer will be watching whether you know that. Ask about ages, settings and goals, never about a particular person, and do not press if an example is cut short.
Weighing what you hear
Trust what is on the calendar
Supervision on Tuesdays at two, planning from eight to nine, notes signed every Friday: these exist. 'We are very supportive' and 'we make time' may be sincere, but they have no hour attached, and hours are what a week of sessions takes away first.
Listen to how colleagues are described
A supervisor who speaks of nurses, teachers or other therapists as partners is describing a program with a place in the building. Weariness about being treated as entertainment is worth hearing too. It does not rule a site out, but you would inherit the same conversations.
Money questions are fair
Months of full-time clinical work with little or no pay is a real cost, and a director who has trained interns knows it. Ask about stipend, housing and outside work plainly and early. For a job, ask for the pay structure before the figure, since the structure decides what the figure means.
Check requirements at the source
Hours, competencies, credentials and licensing are set by schools, professional bodies and governments, and they differ from one country or state to the next. Treat what an interviewer says about them as a lead, then confirm it with your academic program or with the body that issues the credential where you plan to practice.
After the interview
Write the answers down the same day
Record the numbers first: sessions per day, supervision hours, planning time, stipend or pay, miles driven. Adjectives blur within a week, and the numbers are what you will compare.
Compare sites on the same few points
If you interview at more than one place, line them up on the same lines: populations, supervision, time for planning and notes, cost to you, and what past interns or staff went on to do. A site that wins on warmth and loses on every line deserves a second look before you say yes.
Ask for the terms in writing
Schedules, supervision hours, stipend, mileage and who supplies the instruments are easy to agree out loud and easy to remember differently in month three. A short email that sets out what you understood, with a request to correct anything wrong, is enough.